


Strings

by bunymyun



Category: NU'EST, SEVENTEEN - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Physical Disability, Soul mate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-09
Updated: 2017-08-09
Packaged: 2018-12-13 04:13:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11751777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bunymyun/pseuds/bunymyun
Summary: Ren was born with a set of numbers he spends most of his life looking for them.





	Strings

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for a Nuest Fanfic contest about two years ago and I haven't posted it anywhere except Tumblr because I didn't see the point of it haha but here we are! Enjoy!

Word Count: 6495  
Warnings: angst, soulmate au  
Title: Strings (Latitude and Longitude)  
Date Start: Jan 7 2016  
Date End: Feb 8 2016  
Tropes: soulmate au (romantic and non-romantic soulmates), non-cannon

*** *** *** ***

For as long as he could remember he’d had a string of numbers on his neck. The small raising of skin where the numbers were ‘printed’ had never bothered him; he couldn’t see them, after all. Not when he used a mirror, not when he touched them. If it weren’t for his parents, he wouldn’t have even known what the numbers were. 

“You were born with them,” they would tell him. “Every person on this planet has two sets of numbers. It’s where you’ll meet your soulmate, sweetie.”

Ren had nodded at his parents, still not understanding what the numbers on him were or why he was born with them, rather than having a blank surface like his friends. He was the only person he knew that had been born with their numbers, and while he was proud, he was also scared. 

At age five, Ren had heard the quick steps of his playground friend, Baekho run up to him. “Ren! Ren!! Guess what?!” Ren had assumed that Baekho had a smile on his face, that his friend’s face had turned red from running so fast. “I got my numbers!! They’re just like yours!” the boy yelled happily.

“Look!” he practically screamed. 

Ren froze at his friend’s words. 

Ren in fact, couldn’t ‘look’ like Baekho had wanted. He wasn’t able to see; Retinal dystrophy, as his parents had told him. 

“Oh. Ren…I- I didn’t mean to!” Baekho remarked, his voice turning quieter. 

Ren smiled in Baekho’s general direction. “It’s okay, Baek. Show me?” 

Holding out his hand to Baekho, Ren allowed his friend to guide his hand to his nape, feeling the small rise of skin. 

Ren gasped. “Did it hurt?” 

Baekho shook his head before remembering. “No. Not even a little.”

Ren nodded; he had hoped Baekho would tell him a story about how he felt when he got his numbers. “Oh. Cool.”

***  
As Ren got older, more and more of his classmates and friends started to develop their numbers. 

He couldn’t understand. They had gotten theirs later in life, and while he tried to pretend he didn’t care about the digits etched in his skin, he cared. He cared so much it was all he could think about. 

When he turned thirteen, his brand-new next door neighbor Minhyun had received his second set of marks right in the middle of Ren’s birthday-slash-slumber party. It had been quite the sight, or what Ren imagined would have been quite the sight. 

Minhyun had come screaming from the bathroom when he saw that his marks came from somewhere else. 

Minhyun had been the first to get his markings on his arm. The boy sat next to Ren, who held his arm up to him, allowing Ren to trace his fingers across the slender boy’s arm. Ren’s eyes widened as he felt that there was a different formation on Minhyun’s arm than those that were on his neck. 

It amazed him, and that night he couldn’t sleep. He knew the numbers mean something, but Ren’s parents had never divulged the secrets of the numbers. And now that he had felt the words, he definitely wanted to know what they meant. 

He laid himself down for the night, expecting to get some explanation, and some kind of enlightenment from his parents. 

Questions riddled his mind, none of which really felt like the right ones to ask. Ren just knew he wanted to find out what his markings were, why they were there when he was born, and why no one else had gotten them when they were born.

***

The next day he sat his parents down after his friends had all been picked up, or dropped off, to ask about the marks. 

His parents sat, looking at their son in silence, waiting for him to ask whatever it was he had sat them down for.

They knew straight away that it was going to have something to do with the new neighbor boy, and the marks he had received last night, but they didn’t really want to have this conversation; Ren wasn’t ready. It would break his heart. 

They didn’t know how to explain it to him without being sad themselves. They feared that Ren wouldn’t be content with their answer, and they feared that the markings would lead to more problems for Ren. 

He sat for what felt like hours waiting for his parents to just say something. 

“Ren…” his father began. “Those marks on your neck, they mean something to all of us. You would be able to see the ones your mother and I have, but well, you can’t.” 

His mother took in a breath before continuing. “The marks on your neck show up the day you cross paths with your soulmate. One of them, at least. Every person has two soul mates, unless their first soul mate is also their lover. In which case, the second marking, like the marking your friend Minhyun got, will show up on your arm.”  
Ren sat confused, his head feeling lighter as he felt the floor slip beneath him even though he could feel it right beneath him. 

“The marks on your neck are for the place where your soul mate first sees you, not when you see them. They get their markings when you lay eyes on them.”

Ren gasped. His mother’s eyes swelled. “This is why we didn’t want to tell you, sweetheart. It wasn’t to be mean, or spiteful, we were just worried you’d be upset. You can find your soulmate, but they may never find you, and they may never be convinced that you are their soulmate unless your name shows up, or they have numbers on their neck.” 

Ren moved his head backwards. “So you’re saying you didn’t want to tell me because I’m blind and won’t ever be able to actually see my soulmate?” 

“W-well, yes. We didn’t want you to go on a search for them without knowing the possibility of them getting their numbers or perhaps your name etched on them.” his father stated from somewhere closeby.

He nodded, his eyes swelling with tears. “So I can find them, but they won’t be able to find me. You just didn’t want to give me false hope. It’s okay…I just. ..if I ever get a name on my arm like Minhyun did, will you help me track them down?”

His parents went silent once more as Ren wiped his tears and sat up straight. 

“Will you help me?” he repeated. 

A hesitant, but final “Yes” was all that Ren needed. 

He stood, and looked in their direction proudly. “Thank you.”

***

Years passed, and Ren hadn’t felt any different. He was graduating from high school now as the top rated student in Korea, he had received many awards during his days in high school for being a pianist, and obvious recognition amongst his peers for having top marks on top of that. His school gave his recommendations for several colleges and universities. Ren became famous due to his disability, claiming several prizes and scholarships to schools overseas, as well. 

Ren had everything he’d wanted, and he thought he was happy and perfectly content with his life as he walked down the stage to receive his diploma from the headmistress. Or so he thought, until another school musician had announced at the mixer that night that he had finally met his soulmate. JR, as everyone called him, had proudly shown off his chest marking, while holding hands with a girl with hair that was bright red. (Or so he’d heard from Baekho.) Ren wouldn’t know, he’d never seen one.

He was bashful about announcing it, but Ren imagined he was ecstatic. Finding your soulmate was all anyone could think of now that they were all older and about to head for bigger and greater things. To be alone during that journey seemed scary enough, but to meet your soulmate was something that everyone Ren was friends with seemed to care deeply about. 

A new journey didn’t seem as scary with someone with you every step of the way, even if you headed in new directions as JR and his soulmate were. He would be going to film school in Seoul, while she was off to China for an internship. Ren smiled as he shook hands with the girl, bowing to her and telling his friends that he was so happy for them.

He was. 

***

Ren walked home from the party they all held in celebration of their graduation, the end of their teenaged era. From here, it was all decisions, and big steps. Mistakes would be made, but they’d learn from them. 

Ren touched his markings on his neck as he made his way home. He rubbed his arm, and he rubbed his chest. He knew he didn’t have any markings, he would have been able to feel a small rise of his skin, similar to like when Baekho had gotten a tattoo on his leg and let Ren feel the shape, the way his skin rose and even though it had (kind of) hurt, Baekho had been a good sport about it. 

Ren laughed as he opened the door to his home, leaning his walking stick to the side of the door frame. The house was quiet, and Ren knew his way around by heart. 

His parents were sleeping, his father’s quiet snores loud enough to echo in the house. Ren rested against the door after closing it, his chest heaving as he took each careful breath. 

Every time his friends developed their soul markings, Ren only worried more and more–like a slow-paced anxiety attack about to set in. He would always return home, and quietly cry himself to sleep because all he had were the numbers on his neck. 

He knew, from experience, that the markings on his neck were special to every one person. His markings were coordinates just like everyone else’s, but to his dismay his coordinates were settled in the middle of a theme park in America. 

You get your markings when your soulmate sees you for the first time.

That was impossible, he thought. He was born with his markings, it was impossible for his soulmate to have seen him at any time before that.

He truly hated that the rules of the markings were different for every one person, but all occurred in the same ways.  
Sighing, Ren walked to his room and sat at the foot of his bed. 

“They don’t know how lucky they all are…” he muttered to himself. “No idea at all.” 

He removed his shirt and pants to switch into his night clothes, and fell asleep, a nagging feeling in his stomach the last thing he felt before he drifted off to sleep.

***  
His dreams were odd that night. He had never seen a human face so when he imagined what they were like, they were always a little bit more like his. The hair would be shaped like how he thought his hair looked, and if they were girls, then they just had longer hair and breasts he used to call meatbags when he was younger. 

He had also been to amusement parks, and ridden on the rides, but he had never actually seen them, just what he thought they looked like, or what his parents had been kind enough to tell him they looked like. 

He walked along the theme park in his dream, walking past people without faces, children with candy in their mouths and blank expressions. 

The park was huge, but Ren couldn’t help think he was looking for something, or someone. And in his dream, ten minutes later, he found them. 

His parents were walking around the park, looking young and happy. Ren would recognize a smile anywhere, and if he could see them in person, he’s sure that would be his favorite human characteristic. 

What he didn’t feel was right was that his mother looked fat. It looked odd on her, but he quickly realized it wasn’t fat, rather she was pregnant!

Ren smiled to himself, that was him in there after all. 

His mother and father were in line waiting for a giant wheel ride, the kind where the compartments swung and danced along as the wheel slowly rotated to the top. 

He smiled so much as he saw that his parents looked happy, peaceful, probably what they would look like today in his real life. 

The lines moved, and Ren followed his parents until they were brought into one of the compartments. 

It was huge, and could fit up to 8 people, but this one seemed to be less vacant because there was a family of four with two children and the mother was also pregnant. 

Ren’s parents chatted happily in Korean as they made their way to the top of the wheel, watching the people below them grow smaller and smaller. 

“Oh, you speak, Korean, too?” The other mother had spoken. 

“Yes, we’re only here on vacation.” His father had replied. 

“Well, we hope you enjoy your visit before your baby is born!” The other father replied, reaching over to grab his son by the loops of his pants. 

Ren’s father laughed, his head leaning back. “Thank you, and we hope you can enjoy this place with all your children, soon.”

As his father spoke, Ren saw the toddler make his way over to Ren’s mother, his little feet swaying his body in a way that made him waddle like a penguin, or a duck. 

Ren smiled as the toddler lost his footing on a particularly hard swing from the compartment, headed straight for his mother’s belly.  
She caught him, and he hugged her belly as she straightened him up. “Careful there, little one!” 

The toddler smiled at her and giggled, making grabby hands at Ren’s mother. 

Ren’s mother shook her head, carefully, “My belly is too big for you to fit, sweetie.”  
The toddler pouted, but he smiled at Ren’s mother either way, rubbing his hands on her belly and kissing it, repeating “Baby?”

“Yes, a baby.”

The toddler nodded, and went back to his mother and pointed at her very small baby bump. “My baby.” 

Ren’s mother laughed. “He’s terribly adorable. What’s his name?”

“Aaron. His name is Aaron.” 

***

He did not expect to be woken up like this. 

His mother had come into his room excitedly yelling about some angel. 

“…What?” he moaned as he stretched himself awake. 

“You have your markings, Ren!” his mother screamed. 

Ren sat up, his first thought being that no, that’s not possible. The second being finally! He immediately began to run his hands all over his body to find out where his markings were. 

“I came to wake you up, but when you turned over I saw the marks and just- Ren you have your soulmate!” His mother was screaming in joy, jumping up and down while holding Ren’s hands.  
“Oh, my Ren! I’m so happy for you. We must look for him right away! Not that I’m surprised it’s a boy, you’ve always gotten along with them much better!”

Ren sat breathing, his mind racing at a million miles per second. Until finally his mother’s words were rushing into his head and flooding him with a sensation he hadn’t ever felt before. 

“Mom!” He yelled, not knowing which direction she had gone in after he let go of her. “Mom. Please tell me his name is Aaron.”

Silence. “Ren, h-how did you know that?” She sat next to him now. 

“I had a dream, mom. I think I have an idea of where to start looking for him.” 

For as long as Aron could remember he had his mark on his arm. He had had them since he was a little kid. 

The marks had been mysterious enough for him to look at them in amazement rather than fear when he had first gotten them. He hadn’t even noticed the mars at first, too preoccupied with his family outing. 

It wasn’t until he sat down on his father’s lap that day to eat his sandwich that he realized they weren’t normal at that age. 

His parents were shocked at first, and then seemed to be happy for him, but also very worried. They had explained to him that those marks were special, and that they were the marks of someone who would always be there for him but he never really understood until he had entered high school.  
  
To Aron, the letters that appeared on his arm were a mystery, one he desperately wanted to understand, but knew he wouldn’t be told of until much later, if his parents’ faces were anything to go by.

When he had first heard in his health class his first year of high school, of the marks, he had come to realize that many people didn’t get their marks until they were around this age. 14 to 25 was the average age for markings showing up. He had taken notes of everything that day, but none of the words his health teacher presented him with flowed to him, they mashed together until all he heard was a buzzing noise.

Aron always felt sick to his stomach after that. He had gotten his when he was two. And he had hid the fact ever since, at his parents request. He now knew why: it wasn’t normal to have the marks that young. And if the blank space on his neck was anything to go by….he hadn’t crossed paths with them ever again, either. 

The boy’s at his school had always seemed interested, but they had all had a girls name on their bodies. No one had ever had a boys name. 

Aron went home feeling lost and empty every day, like he wasn’t normal and like he might never be. 

This week, his best friend, Jason, had received both sets of marks.  
Jason had looked so happy it made Aron’s heart pound roughly in his chest. His best friend had both met his soulmate, and gotten to see the moment his marks appeared. 

Aron would never be normal. He knew it at heart, despite trying his hardest to pretend like he was happy the way he was. 

  
“Mom, I’m home!” He yelled, his voice coming out garbled as it always had since he was young. 

His mother peeked out from her study, a smile gracing her face. “Welcome home! I hope you don’t have too much homework, your sisters wanted to take you out to dinner tonight for your birthday.” 

Aron dropped his books on the counter in front of his mother’s study as she spoke.  
“Sounds good, mom. I have a bit to do, but we both know the girls will force me to go either way.” He said back. 

His mother sighed, “Aron. I don’t pay for that private tutor of ours just so you don’t use her lessons around us.”

Aron nodded sheepishly. He sighed when he saw his mother was serious. Silently, Aron held his hands up, forming an “o” followed by sticking his index and middle fingers out. “You know I hate using ASL, mom.”

She sighed. “Aron, you need to get used to it. We’ve been over this. Please?” 

Aron nodded, repeating his first motion before turning to walk away from his mother. “I still don’t like it!” he yelled, narrowly avoiding the stress ball his mother threw at his head as he turned the corner to the living room. 

His sisters sat watching tv, one trying her best to do homework, the other dancing along to the music. 

“You should turn that up, I can’t hear.” He said, joking as his sister turned, her face twisted into what Aron thought looked like disgust and a bit of sorrow. 

“That joke is in poor taste!” His younger sister yelled, rather than signed. 

Aron laughed at her nonetheless. “Oh, come on it’s funny.”

She stuck her tongue out at him. “Whatever, bro.”

He laughed some more at her expense before finally sitting down and asking where they were going to take him.

“It’s a surprise, duh!” They signed at the exact same time. Aron had always thought it might have been some weird freaky sister thing they had going on because he could never manage to be in sync with them. (Not that he ever tried.)

Aron sat happily watching SpongeBob and laughing along to their antics. 

“You know….if you’re not going to tell me, I’m just going to hook up the PlayStation….” He had hoped that it would work, as his sisters dramas were starting soon, but they both suddenly looked up at him, and smiled. 

“Seriously, ladies, stop doing that freaky not-twin-twin thing! It’s weirding me out!”

When they ignored him, Aron sighed once more, exasperated. Fine, he thought. “Tell me where you’re taking me, dammit!”  
“Oh, fine. Since you finally asked.” 

Aron felt a tinge of anger bubbling in him. These two loved to mess with him, and while he loved them, sometimes he felt like they only forced him to use ASL when they felt like being mean to him. 

“We’re taking you to the Agency.” 

Aron went rigid. His entire body froze as he recognized the signs his sisters just formed. He saw their faces form equally excited grins. 

“But…that’s so expensive!” He immediately said, trying to hide his excitement. 

The Agency had been established in the late 1950’s, and was used as a method of identifying your soulmates. They had started as just a local company in Los Angeles, but as technology expanded, their company did as well. They were now an internationally recognized establishment, and helped millions find their soulmates over the last 60 years. 

Aron had never gone himself, since he didn’t have his markings on his neck. But he knew he could set up a profile for himself that would last for one year. The only downside being the price. 

His disability prevented him from working anywhere where he would have to actually talk to the hearing abled and the jobs he did manage to keep always fired him or grew tired of him being there because of how hard it was to keep a disabled teenager on staff. As much as Aron had worked to get his year long profile, he always ended up short. 

“Aron, it’s a gift. We’ve both been saving up for the last year we want you to have this.” 

Aron felt himself on the verge of tears, his sisters may have been annoying brats at times, but right now all he could think about was that he was one step closer to Ren, and that maybe these two brats weren’t all that bad. 

If Aron was right, and the theories of how the marks worked were true, then the moment Aron started to actively do something about looking for Ren, the boy would receive Aron’s name, too. 

“Can we go now?”

His sisters nodded. “Your appointment is in 40 minutes; we should go now, anyway.” 

“I still can’t believe you two saved up that much money for me. Thank you, really.” 

He still couldn’t believe it. And every time he looked down at his arm and saw the three letters he was so familiar with he almost cried.  
He had just turned 21 and he was one step closer to finding Ren. His sisters loved him enough to have saved up for a year in hopes of making him happy. 

They had known Aron had been depressed after the accident that made him lose his hearing, and the entire family had suffered as well, but none more than him. He had become recluse, had lost faith in so many people when they gave up on him after he had to switch schools and learn an entirely new language. 

Aron was strong though, he made new friends, Jason among them, and had adapted to life without his full capability to hear. 

He had lost his urgency to write music, but continued on in the program anyway, while he could still feel the music run through his vein and through his body.  
Aron kept going despite everything he was told: the deaf and hard of hearing can’t make music.

That never deterred him, though. Aron played guitar, and he played the piano, too. Every single one of his lessons since he was a child ingraining the sounds into his brain by sheer memory. He knew that even if he ever went fully deaf he would still hear the music. 

And every night when he goes to bed, Aron dreamt of what Ren would be like, every time a new song playing, every time a new face, a new voice. 

Thinking of Ren always made him happy. 

Ren made him think of music, made him think of happier times, and a hopefully, not as lonely future. 

He couldn’t help but wonder if Ren had gotten his marks, if Aron’s name had popped up somewhere on his body. Or where. 

He figured since his marks were already different than most, he didn’t have much information to go by. His mark may have been on his arm, but it had occured to him that maybe they normally showed up on arms, or chests. That wasn’t to mean that there couldn’t be some other place the markings could pop up. 

Aron sat in silence for hours hoping he could get a lead on Ren, whoever he was, he wanted to meet him. 

He knew his name. After so many years of having the markings on his neck, he finally got the name. 

“Mom. You promised!” he yelled. 

She nodded, agreeing. “I know, I know! But signing up with the agency would put a big dent in your university fund and we can’t do that to you, sweetie. You worked too hard!”

Ren sat down somewhere in front of his mom’s voice. “Mom, I swear to you, I don’t care about the money! I have enough scholarships and even a full ride if I go to the United States. If I take the full ride….what we have saved up can pay for the agency!” 

He knew his mother stood up when her heels clicked against the tile floor. “Ren, listen to me. This Aron….he’s your soul mate, yes, but you can’t just get up and moved across seas because of it!” 

Ren felt like crying. His eyes began to itch and he could feel his lips begin to quiver. “Why not. Why. Not?!” 

A short breath from his mother, and then, words Ren never thought he would hear. 

“Ren! You are blind, for God’s sake! If something happened- I dont…..I don’t know what could happen to you, Ren. I can’t take that chance.” 

She was crying. Even though he couldn’t see it, he knew she was. Her voice never quivered, just went up in pitch slightly. Ren could hear her subtle quicker breathing. 

“Oh, mom!” Ren felt desperate, he wanted to yell at her, he wanted to cry, but in this moment, doing either one would not prove he was ready to take a chance. 

“Mom….nothing is going to happen to me. I have my markings. I’m blind, yes, but I’m not stupid. I’m not a kid anymore. I have my life to figure out what I want to do. I’m not in that much of a rush, but if I can give myself a little push in the right direction…I will. I already have the full ride. I’d be an idiot not to take it.” 

He stood while his mother quieted. She finally sniffled, and Ren calmed down a bit. 

“We’ll talk to your father when he gets home. He’s just as worried as I am. But….you’re right, and I can’t deny that. You deserve to be happy, Ren. And if that means we have to let you go, then we’ll let you.” 

Ren gasped but nodded at his mom, waiting for her to say something else.

She didn’t. 

When his dad came home there was more crying, and a little less awkwardness. Ren had always cared about his parents opinions, but he didn’t want to take them into account until he had to. 

His father however, made an excellent point.  
“Your markings are coordinates, Ren. I checked them a long time ago. Los Angeles.” 

Silence fell over the kitchen they sat in. “You have to go to Los Angeles to meet him. I know you will, if you do.”

“Honey, you can’t be serious?” 

“I am, dear. Think about it. Ren got a scholarship to one of the most prestigious universities in Los Angeles. Of all places.” He paused. 

“I’m positive that if you go, not only will you get to fulfill your dreams, but you’ll meet Aron, too.” 

Ren jumped up. “So it’s decided then?” 

His parents looked at each other before looking at Ren and speaking up to him. 

“Yes.” 

The plane ride to Los Angeles had taken roughly 18 hours or so not including the overlays and the luggage times. 

By the time Ren had stepped foot on American soil he could feel his chest start to heave. His stomach tied itself in knots, and he felt himself want to just walk up to every person he met and ask for Aron. 

Ren wanted to demand him, ask desperately where he was, but… he couldn’t see where he was going. Had no idea where he was going. His parents had set up an arrangement with the University officials who would send someone to pick up Ren from the airport. 

Getting through the Visa station had been hard enough on him, having to be escorted by a security guard, and at one point, he thought he felt a smaller hand on him, perhaps a stewardess. 

“Ren Choi?” A voice asked, getting his full attention and a smile from Ren. 

“Yes. I’m Ren!” he said, almost laughing. The jet-lag was catching up to him, and he felt irrationally happier than he was 2 minutes ago. 

“Excellent. Should we get going, now?” 

Ren nodded. “Yes, please.”

Two weeks after settling into his dorm and attending his first few classes, Ren had convinced his roommate, Jeonghan to take him to the Agency. 

Once they were there, Jeonghan sat with Ren and filled out the paperwork for him. Soon enough, Jeonghan told Ren to go ahead and follow the lady that had just rounded the corner, a clipboard in hand. 

As nervous as he was, Ren was more excited than he’d ever been in his life.

Finally. 

Ren was taken into a room to speak with the agent. 

“Mr. Choi, your friend has filled out all the paperwork accordingly, thank you for helping us do this part. It makes our jobs a lot easier and a lot faster. Now, you say you’ve had your marks since you were …” The lady cut herself off, her glasses sliding down the bridge of her nose. The name had already seemed familiar, but when she looked at it again, the coincidence was far too great.

The forename matched and the age did too. Perhaps this was the soulmate of the deaf boy? She shook her head, that was impossible. Too great of a coincidence. 

“Mr. Choi, this in fact can narrow down your results significantly. If you had your marks since birth, and you have reason to believe that the person you are looking for is at least two years older than you, that would narrow down the search by the thousands, if not millions.”

Ren felt his foot begin to tap against the linoleum quickly, anticipation building in his system. “So you can help?” 

The woman laughed, “Yes. And since you are a very special case, I can help make sure that you can pay in installments rather than in one go. I have a feeling your case won’t take an entire year.”

Ren nodded at her. “Where do I pay?”

She stood, and helped lead Ren out of the office to the reception area, where Jeonghan remained seated, staring at his phone while he waited. 

“Linda will help you with the process of check out.” She had said, turning Ren to face in the direction of Linda’s desk a few feet away. “Linda, this gentleman would like to purchase the Star Package, please.”

Linda had nodded before immediately typing away. sheets of paper printing as she spoke. “Alright, here is your printed information, our contact numbers, and emails of Ruby, your agent, and myself in case you have any questions about your package. The total will be billed to your credit card, unless you want to pay in cash?” 

Ren shook his head, his cane hitting the desk before he did. “Charge it to this.” He reached in his pocket and touched over his credit cards, feeling the rough edge of the correct card. 

“Here you go.” 

She took the card, typed in the numbers and handed it back. 

“Thank you Mr .Choi. Have a good day.”

Ren walked back to Jeonghan, lightly hitting him in the shin when he did. “Lets go to the bar tonight? I’m feeling like celebrating. My treat!”

Jeonghan smiled as he stood up, leading Ren back onto the streets of LA. 

“I’d love to, but if I get hammered I’ll probably sleep in and miss the test tomorrow morning. So, maybe this weekend, instead?” Jeonghan said, hoping to not seem like a downer. 

“Aw, you suck. But yeah. Bring your friends, too! I’m not paying for them, though….thats too many people.” Ren said, laughing. 

Jeonghan laughed along, too. “It’s not my fault my only friends are on the Uni’s Dance Team.”

“Yes, it is.” Ren said. 

Friday night came by faster than they had all thought it would; Ren Jeonghan and his Dance crew were all headed to a Bar named Villains. It was pretty far from where their campus was, but it was worth it for the live music. 

And hot people, according to Jeonghan’s dance partner, Lizzy. 

The night had started off slow, as not everyone on the crew had gotten off on Fridays as early as they did, but when they slowly started to come through, their party of five expanded to a party of twelve. All of them laughing and dancing to the live music at Villains. 

Around 3 hours into them laughing and arguing over who had the best moves, Ren jumped in his seat as he felt his cellphone buzz. 

He told the others he had to answer it, since only 2 people every really called him, and that was his parents. 

“Hello?” He answered as soon as he walked out of the bar. 

“Mr. Choi? Hello, It’s Ruby, your agent. I just had one question for you? It may be the last clue I need for your case?”

Ren immediately listened harder than he had ever listened to anything in his life. “Yes, sure. Go ahead.” 

“Are you absolutely positive that the markings on your neck, your coordinates, are the ones you gave me?” 

Ren almost laughed, “Yes, those are the numbers. At least, according to Jeonghan and my parents.” 

“Hmm, very well, Mr. Choi. In that case, I may have found your soulmate. I believe that his name is Aron Kwak and that he in fact, has also been looking for you.”

Ren’s entire body started to shake. Aron had been looking for him. For who knows how long, too. 

“When can I meet him?!” 

“I’m afraid the agency is closed for the weekend, so you won’t be able to meet until then, but come Monday morning, and you’ll meet him, alright. I’ve already contacted him as well, and he has agreed to meeting you.”

Rens heart swole and his eyes began to sting, the rush of tears almost spilling over. 

“Th-thank you so much. Thank you.” 

“It’s no problem, really. Your case has been the easiest to date, for me, at least. See yo Monday at 2pm, Mr. Choi.”

“Yes, yes thank you again.”

He hung up the phone. Monday. Two days. 

Ren was so dizzy with disbelief that as he turned to go back inside the bar, his cane swung out from underneath him, and hit whoever was within his reach.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” He yelled. 

“It’s alright. You probably just didn’t see me.” A slightly garbled voice Ren swore he almost recognized spoke up. 

“Is that a blind joke?” Ren asked, incredulous at the stranger.

“Ah, no?” 

Seconds of silence passed as Ren stared ahead. 

“Oh. Oh crap. I’m so sorry, I have a big mouth, really. I’m sorry, bro.”

“Yes, well, you should be.” Ren walked to the door, holding it only to pull on a push door. 

“Here, I got it. My name’s Aron, by the way. Can I buy you a drink?” 

Ren paused. 

“Your name is Aron?” he asked. 

“Uh, yeah?” 

Ren couldn’t believe this. It was almost impossible. Completely improbable and completely insane at the chances he had of meeting Aron before the Monday they were to meet at, anyway. 

“I’m Ren?” his voice sounded unsure when he spoke. 

“Sorry??” the boy asked, he must not have understood him. 

“My name is Ren.” 

Suddenly, Ren heard what sounded like skin slapping on skin. 

“No way.” the voice said. “No frickin way.” 

Aron grabbed Ren’s hand, pulling it forward towards his neck. Ren felt similar markings to the ones he had on his own neck. The numbers were probably totally different, considering their location, but Ren felt his heart skip a beat. 

“Ren, how old are you?” 

“I- I’m turning 19 in November.” 

“Two years younger than me… Are you Korean, too, by any chance?” Aron asked, still gripping Rens hand. 

“Yes.” 

“Did your parents go on vacation while they were expecting you….more specifically did your parents go to Disneyland before you were born?”

Ren nodded, the tears now spilling out of his eyes. “Yes.” 

And then, it was his turn. “Your last name isn’t Kwak, is it?”

A short laugh, one that sounded more like the wind was knocked out of him. “Yes. Oh god, yes. It is.” 

Silence fell over them, the loud music and sounds of drunkards in the bar the only sound Ren could hear. 

“It’s funny, ya know? I’m deaf, and you’re blind, and yet, all I hear right now, looking at you, is sweet blissful music. Like strings of an orchestra.” 

Ren’s tears kept flowing. 

“I’ve been wanting to meet you since I was a child. I can’t believe this.” Ren said. 

Aron nodded, before remembering Ren couldn’t see it. 

“So…can I get you that drink?”


End file.
